Harry Steppe (born Abraham Stepner), March 16, 1888[1] – November 22, 1934[2] was a Russian Jewish[3][4]-American actor,[5] musical comedy performer,[6][7] headliner[8][9] comedian,[10][11] writer,[12] librettist,[13] director and producer,[14] who toured North America working in Vaudeville[6] and Burlesque.
[32] Other paramours of Harry Steppe included Vaudeville performers Victoria "Vic" Dayton, whom he married in 1920,[33][34] Edna Raymond and Leona St. Clair.
"Ignatz Cohen," one of Steppe's alter egos,[30] became a recurring and popular character based on an ethnic Jewish stereotype.
Many of Steppe's variety shows featured musical revues and olios with dancing girls, comedy sketches and specialty acts.
[11] Phil Silvers[39] and others[40] credited Steppe with "introducing the phrase 'top banana' into show business jargon in 1927 as a synonym for the top comic on the bill.
Harry Steppe was represented by several theatrical agencies during his career, including Cain & Davenport[41][42] and Chamberlain and Lyman Brown.